By Brian Beutler
From his op-ed in The Washington Post, Charles Krauthammer engages in what one might call "the inaccurate assumption of competence dodge":
Of all the arguments for pulling out of Iraq, the greater importance of Afghanistan is the least serious.
And not just because this argument assumes that the world's one superpower, which spends more on defense every year than the rest of the world combined, does not have the capacity to fight an insurgency in Iraq as well as in Afghanistan. But because it assumes that Afghanistan is strategically more important than Iraq.
Well, I would venture that the argument assumes "the world's onesuperpower...does not have the capacity to fight an insurgency in Iraqas well as in Afghanistan" because, quite simply, the world's onesuperpower does not have the capacity to fight an insurgency in Iraq aswell as in Afghanistan. That, Dr. Krauthammer, has by now been borneout empirically. The same argument also assumes that Al Qaeda leadership ismore likely to be found in Central Asia than in the Middle East. And,of course, it implies the small point that there was an actual moral case to be made(and there remains public support) for overthrowing the Taliban.
Being a doctor, though, Krauthammer presents a "thought experiment":
Bring in acompletely neutral observer -- a Martian -- and point out to him thatthe United States is involved in two hot wars against radical Islamicinsurgents. One is in Afghanistan, a geographically marginal backwaterwith no resources and no industrial or technological infrastructure.The other is in Iraq, one of the three principal Arab states, withuntold oil wealth, an educated population, an advanced military andtechnological infrastructure that, though suffering decay in the lateryears of Saddam Hussein's rule, could easily be revived if it fallsinto the right (i.e., wrong) hands. Add to that the fact that itsstrategic location would give its rulers inordinate influence over theentire Persian Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Gulfstates. Then ask your Martian: Which is the more important battle? Hewould not even understand why you are asking the question.
I think if I were a martian, what I would actually suggest toKrauthammer is exactly what he imagines I (a martian) ought to suggest.Iraq is important. Stay in Iraq. Then, after doing my part to keep theworld's one superpower gasping and bleeding and unable to protect itsallies or fight its enemies, I'd return to Mars to organize an invasionof my own.
Cross Posted at Brian Beutler
